World Chess Championship
The match for the world title: the reigning champion against the winner of the Candidates, held about every two years.
- Founded
- 1886
- Held
- Usually every two years
- Where
- Varies
- Format
- A match between the champion and the Candidates winner: 14 classical games, then rapid and blitz tiebreaks if level
- Champion
- Gukesh Dommaraju (2024)
History
The world title has been decided since 1886, when Wilhelm Steinitz beat Johannes Zukertort in the first official match. FIDE took charge after Alexander Alekhine died as champion in 1946, and has run the championship ever since, apart from a split between 1993 and 2006 when Garry Kasparov and his successors played outside FIDE.
Only 18 players have held the undisputed title. Magnus Carlsen held it for a decade from 2013, before declining to defend it in 2023. Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest undisputed champion in 2024, and defends the title against Javokhir Sindarov in Switzerland in November 2026.
How it works
Who plays. Two players: the reigning champion and the winner of the Candidates.
The format. A match of up to 14 classical games, 120 minutes per player plus extra time after move 40. No draws by agreement before move 40. The first to 7.5 points wins. At 7-7, rapid games follow, then blitz, then sudden-death blitz games until someone wins.
What is at stake. The world title. The 2026 match, Gukesh Dommaraju against Javokhir Sindarov, has a $2.5 million prize fund, with $200,000 going to the winner of each decisive game.
Part of the World Championship cycle: World Cup → Grand Swiss → Candidates → World Championship. Last checked 3 October 2026 against FIDE’s 2026 match regulations.
World Chess Championship in The Chess Herald
- Sindarov's Seconds: Abdusattorov, Vidonyak and Likely Madaminov
- Liang's Shock Loss and Montenegro's Draw Rattle Samarkand
- Geneva's Return to World Title Chess, 22 Years On
- Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi Renew Rivalry, This Time for a Team Trophy
- Nigel Short's Last Continent Is Antarctica
Show all 6 articles
Champions
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Gukesh Dommaraju · beat Ding Liren 7½–6½ |
| 2023 | Ding Liren · beat Ian Nepomniachtchi in rapid tiebreaks |
| 2021 | Magnus Carlsen · beat Ian Nepomniachtchi 7½–3½ |
| 2018 | Magnus Carlsen · beat Fabiano Caruana in rapid tiebreaks |
| 2016 | Magnus Carlsen · beat Sergey Karjakin in rapid tiebreaks |
| 2014 | Magnus Carlsen · beat Viswanathan Anand 6½–4½ |
| 2013 | Magnus Carlsen · beat Viswanathan Anand 6½–3½ |
| 2012 | Viswanathan Anand · beat Boris Gelfand in rapid tiebreaks |
| 2010 | Viswanathan Anand · beat Veselin Topalov 6½–5½ |
| 2008 | Viswanathan Anand · beat Vladimir Kramnik 6½–4½ |
Show all champions since 1886
| 2007 | Viswanathan Anand · won the Mexico City tournament |
| 2006 | Vladimir Kramnik · beat Veselin Topalov in rapid tiebreaks, reunifying the title |
| 2005 | Veselin Topalov · FIDE title: won the San Luis tournament |
| 2004 | Vladimir Kramnik · Classical title: drew with Peter Leko 7–7 and kept the title |
| 2004 | Rustam Kasimdzhanov · FIDE title: won the Tripoli knockout, beating Michael Adams in the final |
| 2002 | Ruslan Ponomariov · FIDE title: won the Moscow knockout, beating Vasyl Ivanchuk in the final |
| 2000 | Vladimir Kramnik · Classical title: beat Garry Kasparov 8½–6½ |
| 2000 | Viswanathan Anand · FIDE title: won the New Delhi/Tehran knockout, beating Alexei Shirov in the final |
| 1999 | Alexander Khalifman · FIDE title: won the Las Vegas knockout, beating Vladimir Akopian in the final |
| 1998 | Anatoly Karpov · FIDE title: beat Viswanathan Anand in the Lausanne final |
| 1996 | Anatoly Karpov · FIDE title: beat Gata Kamsky 10½–7½ |
| 1995 | Garry Kasparov · Classical title: beat Viswanathan Anand 10½–7½ |
| 1993 | Garry Kasparov · Classical title: beat Nigel Short 12½–7½ |
| 1993 | Anatoly Karpov · FIDE title: beat Jan Timman 12½–8½ |
| 1990 | Garry Kasparov · beat Anatoly Karpov 12½–11½ |
| 1987 | Garry Kasparov · drew with Anatoly Karpov 12–12 and kept the title |
| 1986 | Garry Kasparov · beat Anatoly Karpov 12½–11½ |
| 1985 | Garry Kasparov · beat Anatoly Karpov 13–11 |
| 1981 | Anatoly Karpov · beat Viktor Korchnoi 11–7 |
| 1978 | Anatoly Karpov · beat Viktor Korchnoi 16½–15½ |
| 1975 | Anatoly Karpov · won by default when Bobby Fischer did not defend |
| 1972 | Bobby Fischer · beat Boris Spassky 12½–8½ |
| 1969 | Boris Spassky · beat Tigran Petrosian 12½–10½ |
| 1966 | Tigran Petrosian · beat Boris Spassky 12½–11½ |
| 1963 | Tigran Petrosian · beat Mikhail Botvinnik 12½–9½ |
| 1961 | Mikhail Botvinnik · beat Mikhail Tal 13–8 in the rematch |
| 1960 | Mikhail Tal · beat Mikhail Botvinnik 12½–8½ |
| 1958 | Mikhail Botvinnik · beat Vasily Smyslov 12½–10½ in the rematch |
| 1957 | Vasily Smyslov · beat Mikhail Botvinnik 12½–9½ |
| 1954 | Mikhail Botvinnik · drew with Vasily Smyslov 12–12 and kept the title |
| 1951 | Mikhail Botvinnik · drew with David Bronstein 12–12 and kept the title |
| 1948 | Mikhail Botvinnik · won the five-player match-tournament after Alekhine's death |
| 1937 | Alexander Alekhine · beat Max Euwe 15½–9½ in the rematch |
| 1935 | Max Euwe · beat Alexander Alekhine 15½–14½ |
| 1934 | Alexander Alekhine · beat Efim Bogoljubow 15½–10½ |
| 1929 | Alexander Alekhine · beat Efim Bogoljubow 15½–9½ |
| 1927 | Alexander Alekhine · beat José Raúl Capablanca 18½–15½ |
| 1921 | José Raúl Capablanca · beat Emanuel Lasker 9–5 |
| 1910 | Emanuel Lasker · beat Dawid Janowski 9½–1½ (and drew with Carl Schlechter 5–5 earlier that year) |
| 1908 | Emanuel Lasker · beat Siegbert Tarrasch 10½–5½ |
| 1907 | Emanuel Lasker · beat Frank Marshall 11½–3½ |
| 1897 | Emanuel Lasker · beat Wilhelm Steinitz 12½–4½ in the 1896–97 rematch |
| 1894 | Emanuel Lasker · beat Wilhelm Steinitz 12–7 |
| 1892 | Wilhelm Steinitz · beat Mikhail Chigorin 12½–10½ |
| 1891 | Wilhelm Steinitz · beat Isidor Gunsberg 10½–8½ |
| 1889 | Wilhelm Steinitz · beat Mikhail Chigorin 10½–6½ |
| 1886 | Wilhelm Steinitz · beat Johannes Zukertort 12½–7½ in the first official match |
Source: Wikipedia.
Page last reviewed October 3, 2026.